Ellis star admits ‘body couldn’t cope’ as she opens up about ‘brutal’ filming conditions for gripping Channel 5 drama

ONE of the stars of Ellis has admitted her 'body couldn't cope' as she opened up about the 'brutal' on-set filming conditions.

Sharon D Clarke, 58, took on the titular role of the brand new Channel 5 detective.

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The former Holby City star leads the cast of the brand new mystery drama, just as rival Vera comes to an end on ITV.

But just like the cases DCI Ellis is tasked with solving, making the series was no easy task.

The star opened up about the 'brutal' production as she admitted that constant weather changes took its toll on her health.

Sharon admitted: "I've got to be honest with you, the Belfast weather was brutal. Brutal.

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"It continually rained. We had snow. My body couldn't cope with it."

The former Doctor Who star made her debut as the resilient detective earlier in November.

Her character is the last resort for failing investigations as she is sent to take over cases across the north of the UK.

Although she often faces stiff resistance from the local police, she has an ally in DCI Chet Harper (Andrew Gower).

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And it seems that the pair formed a beautiful friendship off-screen too as they helped each other through the shoot.

"So on this beautiful sunny day, the scenes would go down, and Andy and I would turn the radio on and we'd sing at the top of our voices," Sharon admitted. 

"And you had the radios in the car, and the crew who were in the other car could hear it. So there was like this big singalong going along the street.

"We had a lot of fun. It was an absolute pleasure, and a joy and a privilege to work with Andrew."

Sharon has previously been nominated for both a Tony Award and a Grammy and she had nothing but praise for Andrew.

The star even hinted that she may have a friend for life in the form of her new co-star.

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• The Ex-Wife - New parents Tasha (Céline Buckens) and Jack (Tom Misson) seem to have the perfect life, but the constant presence of Jack's overly friendly but suspicious ex-wife Jen (Janet Montgomery) puts pressure on the couple. But as the series progresses it becomes less clear who the bad guy really is and how far everyone will go to get the life they think they deserve.

• Heat - EastEnders alum Danny Dyer leads this four-part action thriller, set in Australia, which sees two families holidaying together during bushfire season. But instead of rest and relaxation, secrets and lies start to unravel — and not everyone will make it out alive…

• Lie With Me - Another soap legend jets off to Australia, this time its EastEnders alum Charlie Brooks who takes as a married woman trying to saving her marriage by moving halfway around the world after her husband had an affair. However it's far from plain sailing, as a young and attractive live-in nanny comes to work with the Fallmont family, and tensions soon build and eventually, someone ends up dead.

• The Drowning - Jill Halfpenny plays Jodie, a woman whose life is shattered following the disappearance of her beloved four-year-old son, Daniel. However, ten years later, the grieving mother thinks she's finally found her missing child, and embarks on a journey to discover the truth about him. But has she really just found the son she has been missing for so long? 

She added: "For me, the real gift of a job is when you take someone with you for life and Andrew is with me for life.

"That's the gift of Ellis for me, that I've come away with that friendship."

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Ellis is available to watch on Channel 5 and stream on My5.